Thanksgiving, Black Friday 2016: Malls in Worcester Open, and When

WORCESTER COUNTY,MA — Black Friday is still a top sales day for stores even as online shopping lets you avoid the mobs and more retailers and malls open for business on Thanksgiving evening.

Among the stores foregoing Thanksgiving hours are Burlington Coat Factory, Costco, Crate and Barrel, Dillard’s, DSW, HomeGoods, IKEA, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom.

In a change from past years, the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, will stay shuttered on Thanksgiving, and open at 5 a.m. on Black Friday. Mall officials said they want to offer workers time with their families on the holiday.

But, for some families going to the mall has become as much a part of their Thanksgiving tradition as turkey and pumpkin pie. Many national chains are open for Thanksgiving hours, including Walgreen’s and Meijer pharmacies, which will be open all day, and JCPenney, which opens at 3 p.m. on Thanksgiving, and Kmart, which has doorbuster specials throughout the day, as well as on Black Friday.

Thanksgiving and Black Friday hours at some Middlesex County malls are:

• The Shoppes at Blackstone Valley, Millbury: The Shoppes standard hours for Black Friday are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., but shoppers are urged to call specific stores, as it can vary.
• Auburn Mall, Auburn: open 12:01 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Nov. 25
• Greendale Mall, Worcester: extended hours for Black Friday. Call individual stores to confirm.
• Northborough Crossing:
• Lincoln Plaza, Worcester: Check individual stores for hours. Target is open from 1 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Nov. 25.

Headed to malls in Middlesex County, such as the Natick and Solomon Pond Mall? Check here for hours.

Editor's note: the list above will be updated as information becomes available. Share information to charlene.arsenault@patch.com.

Other national chains that will be open for business on Thanksgiving and continue the holiday shopping binge with early doorbuster specials on Black Friday are: Target, Best Buy, Toys R Us, Kohl’s, Sears, Macy’s, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Gordman’s and Sports Authority. Most retailers have yet to confirm their hours for the Thanksgiving weekend, so check each company's website or visit a site like BlackFriday.com for hours and deals.
REI will be closed on Black Friday, as well as on Thanksgiving.
Black Friday has traditionally been one of the 5.5 million member consumer cooperative’s 10 busiest days and the chain will no doubt take a fourth-quarter sales hit, but “we think that Black Friday has gotten out of hand,” CEO Jerry Stritzke told CNN Money last month.
Deb Belt, Patch staff, contributed to this report
Patch file photo